Archive for December, 2008
Firstly, let us wish everyone our belated Festive Greetings.
Feliz Navidad. Our Christmas Dinner dessert, Chocolate filled with Chocolate. Yummy. ;) .
A few days ago we made some classic looking “Goong Che Nam Pla” (Fish Sauce marinated raw Prawns).
We served it in its “original” presentation (whole Prawns). The dish that features on our regular menu is presented differently.
Both versions use the same ingredients, though we added some chopped chillies to this version because our clients loved spicy foods.
Three “Langostinos” were served per person as a small Starter.
(New Style) Goong Che Nam Pla is the only dish that has been on the menu since our first Service.
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Natural Casings for Sausages!
A while ago it was almost impossible to find these! But seeing as they are now allowed on the market, we wasted no time in getting stuck in (or stuffing! ;) ).
Above is our device for filling the Casings.
We made up a (large) batch of Lao Style Sausages, which went down a treat with the clients and especially with the rest of the A-Team. :) .
Of all the Sausages that I have had, Lao Style ones have always been the most aromatic and hearty.
I used to laugh (wickedly) at those who never backed up their files from their PCs to a disc or other device. Well, it looks like I should be laughing at myself….
To cut a long story short, I have lost all the contents of my Hard Drive, including all the old and new photos and worse of all, my collection of videos and recipes. :( .
Hence the reason for no new posts on the site.
Luckily, I had burned all our holiday pics for Rose a week earlier so that she could put them on her computer, if I hadn’t…. put it this way, it would be very difficult to type with broken arms and fingers…. ;) .
I have spent ages fixing the PC, which is now (just about) up and running.
I have thrown countless tantrums and things at the wall, but that is not going to bring back my lost work.
Anyway, seeing as a New Year is coming up, it is kind of nice to start from scratch…
Let this be a lesson to everyone.
Back-up your files!
King is working hard and enjoying himself back in the UK.
Having met some of Spain´s best Chefs, he recently sent us some photos from London.
With the multi-starred Chef Gordon Ramsay.
The word “Carpaccio” is of no doubt from Italian origins. It is said that it was invented and named by the Chef of Harry´s Bar in Venice, after the local artist Vittore Carpaccio.
However, the Milanese restaurant Savini also claims to have invented the dish, also named after the Venetian artist.
So where did it come from? You decide…
What is agreed is that it was originally made from thin slices of raw beef.
Nowadays Carpaccios come in many forms including fish such as Tuna, Salmon, Seabass etc… and other meats including Venison and Ostrich etc.. even fruits like Pineapple and Melon and so forth…
The word has stuck with us through the years to mean various thinly sliced then dressed ingredients.
However, saying that, the Japanese have been serving wafer thin slices of fish for centuries!
Whatever its origins, it is a lovely dish. :) .
Most restaurants will roll up the meat then freeze it, which makes cutting it easier. It is normally cut using a Meat Slicer, like the ones you find at the Cured & Preserved Meat and Cheese sections in supermarkets.
When it is cut, the thin slices of frozen meat will defrost on the plate. Brushing the dressing on top of the meat at this time will normally speed up the process. In retrospect, what you are ordering is raw frozen meat, albeit nicely presented.
Its a good money earner for the restaurant, it takes little time to prepare and can keep frozen for long periods of time. But not all restaurants are the same…
Going with the flow, we have a new dish on our “Aharn Menu” which we have called “Prawn Carpaccio”.
Instead of using everyday prawns, we use Scarlet Prawns, also known as Carabineros in Spanish.
Because our special menu is “Reservation Only”, we prepare the dish 30 minutes before serving.
Desserts are the “Encore” of a meal. No matter how much you feel that you have eaten during the meal, somehow there´s always room for dessert ;) .
Good restaurants will have a separate kitchen for the preparation of these sweet dishes. At the hotel our Pastry Kitchen sits alongside our Bakery on the second floor (our restaurant is on the third floor).
“Downstairs” our team of Pâtissiers and Boulangers work extremely hard, virtually around the clock. The latter work throughout the night, ensuring that a host of freshly baked breads, croissants, muffins etc… are ready for the Breakfast Service, as well as returning later in the day to bake the breads for our lunch and dinner Services.
These guys and girls are also responsible for our chocolates, biscuits, cakes and ice creams & sorbets.
You could call them “The Unsung Heroes of the restaurant kitchens”. :) .
Our Pastry Chef Akiyama and I have been working diligently over the past few weeks on our new “Sweet Things Menu“.
Ideas and suggestions have been thrown around our office, tastings have been conducted, recipes have been adjusted and refined, then tasted again, and again and again…
This menu will stay in place until the spring of 2009. The presentation may change a little during this time, though the main ingredients, flavours and textures will remain in place.
Here is the first look at the four dishes on our “Sweet Things Menu“.
Banana Cylinder with Brown Butter Ice Cream.